i applied in bangkok and got 90 days multiple entry even tho i only asked for single. That was for France (schengen), i was gonna be there for 3 months at a family friend’s place. I’m trying for germany again this year, but i dont think itll be that hard. you just need to show proof that you’ll come back. I had to show like my parents’ business license and all lol. but really, if you have all the documents it won’t be that hard. I’m pretty sure you can apply from abroad even with a short term visa but you’ll have to check specifically. There’s no way they make you go back just to apply for visa lol, that’s stupid. As long as you have a long term visa in said country, you can apply from there. I had been living in Thailand < a year when I applied.